Travel Northern California: Day 3 – Up The Valley & Into Eureka

“I am following nature without being able to grasp her…” Claude Monet

Dawn arrives and we hit the road. We traverse north through the central valley, with the Coastal Mountain Range to our left and the Sierra Nevadas to our right. Temperatures soared to 103 degrees. The grass was golden, the trees were low and the sun was high.

Such an intense light, but as soon as we cut west over the mountains (like, several hours later) the temperatures immediately cooled as we were met with the breeze from the Pacific Ocean. Just like that, things were lush green again and trees rose high above the landscape. 

Once in Eureka, we joined Josh’s family and did some exploring with them. First up, we checked out a local community park with it’s own pocket of Redwoods.

Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana). 

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) grow all along the northwest coast and were often eaten with salmon by indigenous people.

It’s not every day you see someone taking their donkeys for a walk through the park. 

I am back-logged and inundated with images and stories to tell, which is certainly not a bad thing 😉 So much more to share from California, spring/early summer on the Tug Hill, and recent sessions and weddings I have been lucky enough to photograph.

Stay tuned, friends.

-K

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For more of the story of our exploration of California.

To read previous posts in this series, click here for Day 1, here for part 1 of Day 2, and here for part 2.